


Goodnight, Sweet Prince

by operahousehomicide



Category: Something Rotten! - Kirkpatrick/Kirkpatrick/O'Farrell
Genre: Canon Era, Domesticity, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 03:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11304852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/operahousehomicide/pseuds/operahousehomicide
Summary: In which Will overworks himself and Nick is there to attend to him.





	Goodnight, Sweet Prince

**Author's Note:**

> why i gotta do everything myself with these damn rarepairs

               When Nick returned to William’s London flat after a day of errands, he was not surprised in the slightest to find Will still hard at work where he left him. The place was quiet, and usually this indicated writing. Will had never really been one to self-regulate, and him having worked through the night and into this day’s afternoon was not uncommon.

               The flat was beginning to reek of stale spirits again, Nick observed as he emptied his market sack of its contents and filled the cupboards with them. As long as he was visiting his lover on a regular basis, there was food in the house. He honestly didn’t know how the man had survived before they began seeing each other. When their tryst first began, Nick rummaged through Will’s kitchen on many an occasion to no avail in search of edible goods.

               The first time he’d brought provisions to the flat, Will had only glanced up from his work and grunted. Nick wasn’t entirely certain William understood the concept of basic human function. Bathing, eating, and even sleeping were all second priority to Will’s work. Unfortunately, Nick also came second to William’s work.

               He had learned to adjust himself around Will’s hectic schedule, but sometimes, it became too much. Luckily, they’d had some downtime today. Or, at least, he had, what with only visiting the market and not truly expending much effort on the day’s tasks. Collecting mutton and vegetables and a new feather for one of William’s favorite hats wasn’t the most difficult of things in the world. It had been relaxing in comparison to the mad dash of Will’s usual itinerary.

               Nick finished putting the groceries away, absentmindedly clearing an empty pewter mug from the table and into the steadily growing stack of unwashed dishes. He made a mental note to attend to them sometime soon, before Will began eating off the table, as he was wont to do, when he ate at all, if someone didn’t clean up after him.

              The climb up the short flight of stairs to William’s room was one Nick had made frequently, and he did so now, passing over a ruffled collar where it had been discarded by its owner sometime earlier. As he cleared the banister and crossed the threshold of the room, his gaze softened. Will sat, slumped in his high-backed chair, over his desk, cheek pressed to parchment, quill dangling from his fingers.

              Nick trod softly across the room, bypassing crumpled wads of discarded parchment. William always looked so much more peaceful asleep. The crisp lines in his forehead smoothed out, the crows feet that lingered about his eyes uncrinkled. His lips parted slightly, his breath ghosting out in little huffs. Nick’s lip curled in a bit of a smile.

             Tenderly, he stroked Will’s bangs from his forehead, stooping at the knee and arranging himself to carry his favorite bard. Will stirred slightly as Nick lifted him, but thankfully, once asleep, generally stayed that way even in the event of an emergency. Nick carried him to his bed, setting him down gently and arranging the covers around him.

             Perching at Will’s side, Nick pressed a soft kiss to Will’s temple. The man had passed out into wet ink, and his cheek and forehead was marked with his own writings. The sight made Nick chuckle a little, and he kissed Will’s cheek before pulling the blankets up higher.

             Will nuzzled up against Nick, subconsciously craving physical contact, and Nick obliged him, toeing out of his boots and letting them thud to the ground at the edge of the bed. He tucked himself into Will’s bed, gathering the playwrite close to his chest and settling down to sleep.

            Although William was infuriating, moments like this bid Nick’s heart to soften around him, and reminded him why he stayed through all of their arguments. Smile remaining on his lips, Nick buried his face in Will’s neck, more than content to sleep at the side of the great Shakespeare.


End file.
